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Quote, Unquote ‘For a long time, we as a band wanted to do something about the educational situation in South Carolina.’ Mark Bryan, Hootie and the Blowfish guitarist I %\\t (Bamtcock pages Wm (Bamecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Brandon Larrabee Uni versi ty Edi tor Erin O’Neal Spotlight Editor Kyle Almond Sports Editor Brad Walters Design Editor Cristy Infinger Asst. University Editor Valerie Matchette City & State Editor Amanda Silva Spotlight Editor Martha Wright Copy Desk Chief Charles Prashaw Asst. City & State Editor Aubrey Fitzloff Asst. Viewpoints Editor Carolina needs improved garage camera security Ctudents who visit the University of South Carolina are told about wonderful campus security, including cameras in buildings and parking garages. However, there are a couple of defects that prevent these cameras from being a valid part of campus security. The placement of these cameras is pathetic. In some parking garages, there are cameras only on entrances to catch people van dalizing the parking arms. This is of absolutely no use if a student 'is attacked elsewhere in the garage. The few garages that have cameras throughout have no one stationed in the observation booth. Once again, a student who is attacked would receive no immediate help. Finally, the cameras in both the parking garages and the Rus sell House are unbelievably low-quality. The pictures are so grajiy it’s nearly impossible to identify anyone. If there is no one observing the cameras and they can’t be used to identify culprits, then what good are they? The university should install quality cameras in strategic places before it brags about how safe our campus is. Keeping contraceptives 'from children a bad idea Think people should have safe sex? Some of our state legis lators don’t. Rep. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, is the pri mary sponsor of a bill that would allow parents to block their children under age 16 from receiving free condoms or other contraceptives from state agencies. The bill, now in subcommit tee, would ask the Department of Health and Environmental Control to create a database of people who don’t have their par ents’ permission to receive birth control. This is the latest mis take from fools in high places who think giving out condoms en courages people to be sexually active. Well, news flash: if people want to have sex, they’ll have sex. By putting a child’s name on I Jie database, the only thing a parent will do is thwart a person who was trying to have sex responsibly. Few parents want their children to have sex at an early age, but no parents want their children to endure an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmit ted disease. If the contraceptives are free, anyone should be able to get them, regardless of age. About Us The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees. Address The Gamecock j fpO Greene Street -•umbia, SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Studekt Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803-777-7726 Editor in Chief gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk gamecockudesk@hotmail.com City/State Desk gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Spotlight gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Sports gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online www.dailygamecock.com Submssion Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600 words. Both must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. Handwritten submissions must be personally delivered to Russell House room 333. E-mail submissions must include telephone number for confirmation and should be e-mailed to J *ecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published. Photos are required for guest co'umnists and can be provided by the submitter. Twr Gamecock Ann Marie Miani Travis Lynn Jennie Moore Sean Rayford Katie Smith Photo Editors Mark Yates Page Designers Crystal Boyles Betsy Baugh Mackenzie Clements Sara McLaulin Jason Harmon Community Affairs Copy Editors Srtjoorr Menu Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser Business Manager Ellen Parsons Sarah Sims Director of ....... Student Media Advert,s.ng Manager Susan King Ja"neN O'*0 Creative Director Robyn Gombar „ ^ Kera Khalil JJ ^una Denise Levereaux Hooks„ Nicole Russell Melanie Hutto Advertising Staff Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Classified Manager Only two letters to the editor per student will be printed in a semester. Staff columns take priority over guest columns, unless the guest columnist offers expertise on a subject, or if the subject's relevance is limited by time. Guest columns and letters may be submitted by e-mail to game<<$ckviewpoints©hotmail.com. Call 777-7726 for more information. - The Gamecock -- /So ujheise would vori \JLxKe Tb ] }lh= (SoTmVmQ^L 4 ILj^i^j^g^gboMnrg..., "DA-TTNiti COLLEGE meiJ... £/*»*#*#** Class Complaints Students can dole out grades, too If you could play professor for a day and give all of your professors a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F, what grade would you Danryl Green give them? is a fourth-year A’s and B’s student in the Darla go to professors Moore School of we all want to Business. Send have on our responses to schedules. You gamecockviewpoints know — the ones ©hotmail.com. with a wealth of knowledge and interesting things to teach you. The professors who are willing to help out when needed; they partied a little when they were in college, so they feel your pain. The professors who want to challenge us and have fun at the same time. You don’t mind going to their classes even if it’s at 8 in the morning and you have to get up at 6 a.m. just to make it on time. C’s and D’s go to the professors who you can tolerate. These are the ones whose class you’re not very excited . '' .! about, but you stay in because the man or woman isn’t that hard to get along with and you have to take the class to graduate. The professors are likeable, but the class might bore you to tears. They want to see you work hard, but they don’t want to see you keel over and die. They don’t want any problems. They just want you to learn the material so they get paid. And to whom would the lowest grade go? Wfell, F’sgo to professors whose class you dread taking because your friends—and anonymous strangers who had them in the past — tell you not to dare take that class. This is the class you take only after checking every section and seeing “the course you have requested is full.” These professors didn’t have fun in college, and they figure it’s payback time. These professors have become myths in student folklore, akin to the boogeyman or the Blair Witch. They are legendary for their perfunctory manner, negative attitudes and for being a major pain in the you-know-what. Many failing grades are because of incessant rudeness and non-stop crankiness. You can’t ask them a simple question without some snide remark in die reply. Asking for help is like asking them if you could borrow one of their kidneys. After all, teaching your miserable class is holding them back from more pressing matters, like breathing and blinking on time. What can the average student do about it? Nothing. We just have to grin and bear it. These professors can pass or fail a student. All you can do is uy to put up with it and tell your friends what a lousy professor you have. Why are these professors still teaching if they obviously don’t enjoy their work? I love USC, and the majority of its professors would get an A+ in my gradebook. But we all know that there are many professors who just don’t make die grade. If they tried to pull their grades up and provide a positive learning experience for the student, they would not only benefit the student, but themselves, too. They would be able to affect our grades and our lives. They would have a hand in shaping future leaders, and dierefore, they wquld have a hand in shaping the future. Letters There was no scorn in abortion display To the Editor This is a reply to Brandon J. Ray and Katherine Ray’s Monday editorial protests to the anti-aboition display near the Russell House some days ago. Miss Ray contested that shock and scorn do not change minds. Agreed. Calm, collected, educated discussion does, and that forum for discussion was what these so-called anti-aboition “fanatics” brought to campus. There was no scorn in their display. And the shock that it induced is testimony to how unaware the campus is to abortion. “We protest the means, not the message” is a common cry. Pamphlets have been passed, lectures given and rallies held. They do little or nothing to raise awareness of the societal ill that the controversial pictures grimly displayed. Brandon Ray complained that a pro life cameraman at the display dodged a question regarding his organizational affiliation by claming to be “with the Lord against abortion.” Mr. Ray seemed to insinuate that this is an example of either an undermined or an undermining education. To me, there is no clearer statement of affiliation. 1 am with the Lord against abortion, and that means that I will support any action or demonstration that raises awareness of the plight that is abortion, provided it is in reflection of God’s character. If being blunt and to the point when it comes to matters of truth is not a characteristic of God, then I have seriously misinterpreted the Bible. Nathan Bell Fust-year student College of Liberal Aits Fogler improved Carolina basketball To the Editor This letter is written in response to Josh Terry’s “Praising Fogler has been out of line” letter (Wed., March 21). What exactly did Eddie Fogler accomplish in eight seasons as head coach of the Gamecocks? Let us take a minute to consider that. Consider the state of the USC basketball program when Fogler arrived in the spring of 1993. The Gamecocks were reeling from the disastrous tenure of Steve Newton. Entrenched in the SEC’s cellar, USC returned with only four scholarship players for Fogler’s inaugural season. Despite not having the numbers to consistently compete in the SEC, Fogler still managed to bring the Gamecocks to upset heavily favored Kentucky at home and earn the school’s first victory in the SEC tournament over Ole Miss. This isn’t bad for having only four scholarship players on the roster just a yeat earlier. Do you think good coaching had something to do with it? Now compare what we know about the state of the program in 1993 to today. This year, Fogler produced a competitive team that, despite having injuries to almost every player in the rotation at one point or another, still managed to eam a postseason bid to the NIT. He still managed to get an NCAA bid late into the regular season. Hey, you are right, Josh. This Fogler guy just has no idea what he is doing. He only learned to coach from a guy named Dean Smith, who won more than 700 games in his career. Here is a little more for you to consider about the Fogler era, Josh. Name one USC basketball coach, other than the legendary Frank McGuire, who guided his teams to three consecutive postseason appearances. Give up? The answer is zero, nada, zip, zilch. Fogler is the only one other than McGuire. The last time I checked, that was not bad company. Fogler and his staff also brought home the first SEC championship in any sport for South Carolina since joining the league in 1991. You are right, Josh. Eddie Fogler, National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1997, is obviously not a good basketball coach. Andrew EL Jemjgan Second-year graduate student College of Education Eligh School Basketb;ll Coach Excuses, Excuses . Columnist explains his recent absence The reason ■ I have not written in nearly two months is because of a terrible series of events. Some of you might know Nathan white that I like to retire is a third'year to my cabin in the student in the mountains to College of Liberal write my columns. Arts-lf you rriissed There’s something his columns or ha*s about the cool seeing him again, mountain air that send responses to excites my Muses, gamecockviewpoints After writing one ®h°tmaj| com of my great pieces, I was returning to Columbia in January, and viability was nil. Suddenly, a scooter rider appeared out of nowhere, and in my attempt to hit him, I swerved my car to the right. Unfortunately, his splattered blood ruined my tires’ traction, and I careened off the road. I awoke with a sharp pain in my head. Suddenly, I realized I was lying in bed with legs broken. I did not know where I was. Before I could rationalize anything, a woman appeared, as if on cuein a movie. She was divine. Her long, bronze locks spilled over a beautifully tanned face with the most hypnotic hazel-brown eyes. Her sensual lips were blood red and her teeth were as white as the color white. “How are you feeling, Mr. White?” she said with the most radiant of smiles. “Sexually aroused,” I said with my usual machismo. “Who are you?” “I am Stacy Malibu. I am your biggest fan.” “Where am I?” “You are safe; you had a terrible accident.” “Did I get that bastard scooter rider?” “Yes. You split him right in two.” “How about the scooter?” “Unidentifiable as a.scooter. Rest, Mr. White. I’ll come back later to check on you.” Suddenly, as if following the next part of a script, the power of her suggestion caused me to fall asleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but I awoke again to a terrible scream. Before I could come to my senses, she entered the bedroom with a look of utter fuiy. “Mr. White, you were going to replace scooter riders with seat squatters as the butt of jokes in your columns? How could you?” She was holding my last column on seat squatters in her hand. “I thought that scooter rider-bashing was getting old. You know, the law of diminishing marginal utility. I have to stay fresh to keep connected with the kids reading my columns. The demands of the readers compel.” Kignt now, i am tne only reader tnat matters. You will write for me alone, and you will change your columns back to bashing to scooter riders!” She seemed perturbed. “Ms. Malibu,” I pleaded, “it would be unfair if I took into consideration your needs above everyone else’s. I am soiry, but I can’t make fun of scooter riders anymore.” “Okay, Mr. White. You’ve been a dirty bird. It’s time you learn a lesson.” Suddenly, she put a 2x4 between my legs and grabbed the sledgehammer by the nightstand (I always wondered about that sledgehammer). She then smashed both of my feet. I yelped with pain — it hurt. When I awoke again, I realized I was going to have to leave. To make a long story short, I (the hero) fled Ms. Malibu’s cabin and made it back to safety. Along the way, Stacy Malibu (the villain) died a most unusual death and the local sheriff (the innocent victim) was killed. It was like something out of a mediocre movie based upon a good novel. And now that I am back here in Columbia, I am steadily recovering and writing once more. I apologize to all of my readers for my eight-week absence, but as you see, I had a really good excuse.